A Food & Pastry Blog

More on Strawberry Jam

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty well obsessed with jam lately. If I’m not actively making it, I’m cursing the weather for being too hot to comfortably stand over a stove and I’m researching recipes I want to try. Should I move the air conditioner into the kitchen? I ask myself. But then how will I sleep at night?

This past Sunday in the UK Observer’s food section, I found a new recipe idea. Or one that’s new to me, anyway. Nigel Slater expounds on the joys of jam made to be eaten right away. He even rhapsodizes about the pink foam most people skim off.

The suggestion I like is that of adding red currants to strawberry jam. The currants have a higher amount of natural pectin, which helps the strawberries (which contain a low amount) to set more easily. They’ll also add a bit of tartness to the flavor. Slater recommends putting them in later than the berries, so they don’t lose their shape.